Photos: PBY-4

21-P-3 (BuNo 1222) 21-P-12 (BuNo 1214) 21-P-1(?) (BuNo ????) NAS Sangley Point, circa 1939-1940 Photo: NAH-004399 Caption: The Neutrality Patrol star on the bow was not yet applied to these planes, although 21-P-12 (BuNo 1214) wears the national ensign across the hull amidships, signifying the Asiatic Fleet. 21-P-12 was destroyed by Japanese fighters at Darwin, Australia, February 19, 1942. 21-P-3 (BuNo 1222) was one of a PBY det[atchment?] on Luzon upon which Adm. Hart was depending for air transport to Java on Christmas Day, 1941. All three [PBYs of the detachment?] were destroyed by enemy fighters and the admiral made the journey by submarine. Eric: If these BuNos are correct, then on 1940-Jun-11, VP-21 swapped these planes with VP-26. Based at Pearl Harbor, VP-26 had been selected to join VP-21 in forming PatWing-10 (becoming VP-102 and VP-101 respectively), but their first task was to ferry their recently-overhauled PBY-4s to VP-21 and return the other's planes to Pearl Harbor for overhaul. VP-26 then returned to the Philippines with these planes on 1940-Dec-16. According to Dwight Messimer (In the Hands of Fate), P-12 (21/101-P-12) was destroyed on 1941-Dec-10 (Dec-09 east of the International Date Line) by a Japanese fighter while returning from an attempted raid on Japanese ships. That P-12 would have been the VP-26 plane that replaced the 21-P-12 pictured here (which "returned" to the squadron when VP-26/102 was merged into VP-101 on 1941-Dec-23, and was later "destroyed ... at Darwin, Australia"). (Photo courtesy of the Naval Historical Center, US Navy)